Will You Marry Me?
by XxDeafening.SilencexX
Summary: Snapshots in time, marked by 4 simple words even more important than 'I love you'. NejiGaa, SasuNaru, WAFF.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not have any hold on either Gaara or Neji. Too bad.

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**First Try**

"Gaara?"

"Hmm?" The redhead in question cracked a sleepy eye open, wondering what his lover wanted now, just when he was about to go to sleep.

"Will you marry me?"

After a breath for that to sink in, both of Gaara's eyes flew open in surprise, staring across the little space that separated him from pearly white eyes.

"W-What?"

Neji smiled, charmed by Gaara's off balance. "I asked if you would marry me."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Are you teasing me?" After all, they had only been dating (if you could even call it that) for a month or so. Even though that was considerably longer than Gaara's usual relationships, it was hardly time for marriage proposals.

There was a small laugh from Neji's side of the bed (always the left side), but his tone wasn't teasing at all when he said, "Don't try to avoid the question, love."

Gaara frowned. "I'm not, but this better not be your version of pillow talk." He bit his lip as he thought (a nervous habit, he _refused_ to admit that it was because Neji had told him every time he did that he wanted to kiss him), but after a few minutes he only asked, "Do you have a ring? Or is this supposed to be romantically spontaneous?"

Neji's arm reached over and patted Gaara's hair, an endearing gesture the redhead would not have tolerated from anyone else.

"You can say no, little Gaara, and not worry about me dumping you or anything. As if I would do that voluntarily in _any_ situation. This isn't an ultimatum - it's just a question to get you thinking about marriage. Just to let you know that it might not be a stretch for me to ask for real."

"And when will I know it's for real?"

Neji smiled again, eyes bubbling with mirth. Gaara couldn't understand those people who called his boyfriend emotionless; they just obviously did not know the Hyuuga well. Anybody who did realized that while Neji didn't wear his heart on his sleeve (obviously not, since his heart belonged to Gaara), his feelings, his dreams, his personality, was just under the surface. Anybody who looked deep enough would find them with no trouble at all. Gaara himself though, that was another story.

"You won't, but just know I will ask again if you don't give me a definite answer and hopefully, a reason why."

"You want a reason even if the answer is affirmative?"

"Of course." Neji pressed himself to Gaara in a warm hug. "I'll be happy marrying you for any reason, but I'll be much happier if it's one of the right reasons."

"So…what do you classify as wrong?"

"All questions, aren't you Gaara, and no answers for poor little me." Neji pulled back a little to give a small pout, one of the rare things that made Gaara chuckle.

"Fine, fine." Gaara took a deep breath, and tried his hardest not to look away from Neji's piercing eyes. "I don't think I'm ready for marriage, but it's definitely not a no, so you'll just have to wait a little longer, Neji, for me to make up my mind." Gaara suddenly smirked, a streak of possessiveness showing through as he mirrored Neji's earlier words. "As if I would give you up voluntarily in _any_ situation. You're quite the catch, Hyuuga, and I don't intend to let you go just yet."

Neji smirked back, trying to hide the tinge of pinkness in his cheeks, but Gaara caught it. Neji could be so cute.

"So, back to sleep?" Gaara inquired with a yawn.

"Yeah. Goodnight, my little panda-chan."

Gaara told himself he was too sleepy to think up a retort (truth was, he liked the endearment) and let that pass.

"Goodnight, Neji."

They both fell asleep a little later, content in each other's arms.

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A/N: This is just the start of a series of one-shots with NejiGaa and SasuNaru, other pairing suggestions are welcome. Marriage proposals are fun.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

A/N: Eh, I guess they aren't really independent one-shots since the first and second parts are connected, but they're one-shots in my mind because it's only marriage proposals and I skip a lot of stuff. –shrug- Make of it what you want.

In this chapter: NejiGaara, SasuNaru

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**Second Try**

The second proposal came a few months after the first one, and it started out much like the first.

"Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you marry me?"

Gaara turned to face Neji, who was staring straight ahead so he wouldn't crash the car he was currently driving. "It's this again?"

Neji gave him a quick smile before turning his attention back to the road. "Yup, it's this again."

"Hmph. Why don't you just wait until I'm ready and ask _you_ to marry _me_?"

"Because that wouldn't be as fun, Gaara-chan!"

The redhead's eye twitched. "First, never call me Gaara-chan, or I just might retaliate. Harshly. Second, are you _trying_ to make me dump you? I mean, the first time you knew I was going to say no and don't you deny it. And now, you ask me right after I meet what could be my future in-laws. Almost all of whom, by the way, I _abhor_. Hinata is ok now that she's gotten over her stutter, I don't mind her, but your uncle! And Hanabi! The way she simpers is enough to set me running in the opposite direction!" Gaara shuddered just thinking about it.

Neji smirked. "And you haven't seen the worse of it. Hanabi was behaving unusually well tonight; I think she actually has a crush on you. Of course, she knows that you're absolutely off-limits and won't try anything unless she wants to get beaten up by her efforts."

"Oh, so I rank over family?"

"Well, I was hoping that you'd do the actual beating up, since I'd probably be thrown out of the family for a stunt like that. Even when it's over you. And yes, you do indeed rank over Hanabi. Heck, even the _Uchiha_ ranks over Hanabi. And you're over my uncle, but just by a little bit. But Hinata? Not really. I see her as a little sister, and siblings, the ones that I actually like, trump boyfriends. Of course, spouses trump all others in my point of view." Neji shot his redhead a sly look. They were near Gaara's apartment now, and he wanted an answer.

Gaara chewed his lip as he thought about it a little, but he knew that he still wasn't ready for something as big as marriage. "I'm sorry Neji, but I still can't give you a fair answer. Will you wait a little more?"

As Neji drove into Gaara's apartment building's parking lot and parked, he laid a hand over Gaara's own and smiled, understanding shining through, though there was a little bit of sadness too. "Of course, Gaara." And then, to lighten the mood, he commented, "After all, I need to think about _my_ future in-laws too. Having Temari as a sister-in-law? That's a scary thought. But I think I'd survive if I had you with me."

Neji patted Gaara's hand once, a far-away look in his eyes (but isn't there always?), before getting out of the car. "Come on, I'll walk you up to your apartment."

"No, it's fine." Gaara protested. "You don't need to."

Neji opened the car door and motioned for Gaara to get out, saying, "Nonsense. I want to walk you up. And give you your goodnight kiss, of course. Weren't you the one that refused to participate in any form of PDA?"

Gaara reluctantly got out and Neji closed and locked his car, following the redhead into the apartment building. They rode the elevator up to the 8th floor, and Gaara led the way to his apartment, 826. He stopped in front of it and winced. There were definitely sounds of someone (two someones really) making out (and maybe more) in the apartment that he shared with Naruto.

"I knew this was going to happen." Gaara muttered as he turned around to face Neji. "It's Naruto." the redhead explained. "With Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" Neji raised an eyebrow. "As in Uchiha Sasuke?"

Gaara sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. When he's not with Naruto, he can be a total bastard. Their relationship's supposed to be a secret, since some people would, ah, _disapprove_, but I doubt you'll tell." Then he shot a crafty look at the door. "Wanna go in and make them uncomfortable? You'll even see the Uchiha blush."

Neji chuckled at his boyfriend's thinking, and nodded agreeably. This would be fun. He watched as Gaara unlocked the door and followed the redhead in, just in time to hear him say, "Naruto, what did I tell you about having sex on _our_ couch? I'm not buying another one this time, you are. And clean up this mess!"

Neji laughed at the scene before him. Gaara was somewhat of a neat freak, and this apartment had empty ramen cups scattered around it (must've drove the redhead crazy), along with, at the moment, two sets of clothes. Naruto and Sasuke were sprawled on the couch, equally naked, and equally blushing. Neji laughed again as Sasuke grabbed for a blanket to cover them, and Naruto spluttered out protests and half-curses. He finally managed a coherent sentence after a few more seconds.

"Gaara! I…I thought you were going to spend the night at Neji's! Oh, err, hi Neji." Naruto tried to smile while looking at him upside-down and below Sasuke. "How are you?"

"Very amused, Naruto, very amused."

Naruto pouted. "Bastards." he said grumpily. "Stop staring already."

Neji took pity on the blonde and moved on to Sasuke. The two of them had been acquaintances for quite a few years, but they had never been more than that, perhaps because they both were the cold and aloof type. They needed either loud and annoyingly cute types like Naruto or very sexy and spontaneous types like Gaara (the beginning of Neji and Gaara's relationship had consisted of Gaara jumping Neji and kissing him senseless) to break through their respective shells. Neji doubted they'd ever be really close; they were just too similar. Of course, they _were _close enough for Neji to take joy in poking fun at the Uchiha.

"So, Uchiha, afraid of your distraught fangirls once this gets out to the public? If I were you I'd say to hell with them and be proud of my sexuality. Oh, that's right, I've already done that."

Neji smirked at the pissed off expression on the Uchiha's face, and went over to kiss Gaara. He had indeed done that during the first two weeks of his and Gaara's relationship, after he had ascertained that he was _not_ just a fling to Gaara (who had thought that in the beginning but Neji had convinced him otherwise). Neji then had sent a letter to the head of his fanclub, telling her very politely that he was 1. Gay and 2. Taken.

The reaction had been explosive, to say the least. Neji's fangirls had been out for blood (they hadn't know his boyfriend was Gaara) before they had come upon both Neji and Gaara. Making out. And not paying any attention to the rest of the world. When they had surfaced from their kissing, they had seen a crowd of fangirls around them, all passed out from nosebleeds. That was a treasured memory for Neji.

"Shut up Hyuuga. I'm only keeping this relationship quiet because Naruto's afraid of the big bad fangirls, not me." The Uchiha's voice brought Neji back down to Earth.

"Hey!" The blonde protested as Gaara threw him his boxers and pants. "I'm not afraid of your fangirls, ok? I'm just being…considerate."

"Considerate, dobe?" The two were rapidly dressing under their blanket, trying not to dislodge it while still half-naked, and Neji and Gaara listened on with some interest to their conversation. How did everything they say seem to sound like an argument?

"Yes, considerate, teme, a word I doubt you have in your vocabulary. And besides, when you dump me I'll have no one to shield from Sakura. The rest of your fangirls I can take, but Sakura-chan's different."

"…_when_ I dump you? Where did _that_ come from, dobe? What have you done that would make me want to leave you?" Sasuke had stopped dressing, and was glaring at Naruto. The blonde scratched his head nervously.

"Nothing, Sasuke, nothing at all. It's just…you know, what I think of as an inevitability. Someday you're going to dump me." Naruto tried to shrug but Sasuke's glare just got scarier. "What? What did I say wrong?"

"Don't underestimate my love, dobe." he growled before throwing off the blanket and walking out of the apartment, putting on his shirt in the process. Naruto just laid there, staring off into space and still without his shirt on. Neji shook their head at their predicament (he himself knew that there was always a chance that Gaara could dump him, but didn't think of it as a certainty; it'd just depress him), and pulled on Gaara's sleeve to get his attention.

"I'm going to go now." He told the redhead softly, leaning down to place a kiss on Gaara's tattoo. "Goodnight. And try to cheer Naruto up, k?"

Gaara nodded, stroking Neji's cheek as he leaned up to give his own goodnight kiss, a small one on the mouth. "Goodnight, Neji."

Neji nodded and walked out. A few minutes later he got into his car and drove away, to his own apartment on the other side of the city as it began to rain.

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A/N: Next one should be out fairly quickly, I seem to have a lot of inspiration right now. Thank you for all the reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Neither Naruto nor Sasuke nor fluff belongs to me.

**In this chapter**: SasuNaru. Fluff. 'Nuff said.

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**For Ever**

Naruto stared out at the ocean, the wind whipping his hair back and forth and stealing under his dark blue turtleneck, much more subdued than the bright orange he usually wore. The blonde put his hands into the pockets of his jeans, cursing the fact that he forgot to bring gloves. It was cold.

He heard someone's footsteps crunch across the gravel and sand that made up the craggy beach and turned, smiling as his eyes alighted on a certain dark-eyed Uchiha. His mouth was smiling, yes, but there was still an anxiety lurking within his eyes. "So you came, teme." His voice was overly cheerful, much too loud for the atmosphere.

Sasuke did not miss a thing imprinted on his blonde's features. "Don't be afraid, dobe. I'm not angry. Only…only a little disappointed. And of course I came, this-" with a sweeping arm, Sasuke indicated their surroundings, "-is our special place."

"Yes," Naruto agreed, easily soothed by Sasuke's assurances. The Uchiha would never lie to him, unless it was for his own good. "And today is a special day." The blonde reached for the other's hand, still staring out at the stormy ocean. Their fingers connected and entwined. "I still can't believe you're mine." Wistfulness and disbelief tinged his voice, and his "childish accent", as Sasuke called it, had completely died out. Contrary to other people's opinions, Naruto wasn't entirely immature all the time. As if anyone Uchiha Sasuke chose as a friend and as a lover could be a total moron. Sasuke just wasn't that sort of person.

"It's our first anniversary, dobe, and I'm still here." Sasuke's arm pulled Naruto to his side, the other arm hugging him close. "And I do not plan to go away for a long long time. In fact, I plan on staying with you for ever." Naruto did not protest to his plans, and the two of them stayed like that for a long time, the crashing of the waves on the beach a dull roar in their ears.

By the time Sasuke moved again, his fingers were chilled and numb, and he rubbed his hands briskly together, trying to find some warmth. When Naruto noticed his actions, the blonde wrapped his own, warm, hands around his lover's long pale fingers, fingers that were capable of both the softest of touches on a piano key and the brutal force needed to bruise someone with only a handshake. Naruto loved those fingers. Naruto then leaned up and kissed Sasuke gently, tangling his hands in dark locks. Naruto loved those lips, so soft and yielding, and Naruto loved that hair, thick and lustrous but never like a girl's. Never a girl's, because feminine was something Sasuke never could be.

They broke the kiss slowly, and Sasuke murmured, "Will you marry me?"

Naruto looked up, mouth open in surprise. Marriage…it just had never figured in his thoughts. "What did…just what did you SAY, teme?"

The insult had just slipped out like a habit, but Naruto clapped his hands over his mouth, wondering just how stupid he must've been to insult someone who had just proposed marriage to him!

And Sasuke had meant it too. Naruto could see the pink dotting the Uchiha's pale skin, and tried to make up for his misstep. "I…I mean, Sasuke, I heard what you said and it just took me by surprise, that's all…" Naruto trailed off uncertainly, wondering what to say. "We've been dating for a year, and I know that, but we're only 23, Sasuke. We just got out of college and into the real world, and…are we really ready for something as big as marriage? I mean, what if we regret it? Divorce…divorce is painful."

"Naruto." Sasuke whispered softly. "Look at me. I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't believe we were both ready. And Naruto, I won't regret it, trust me. I love you, and even though sometimes love isn't enough, well, we started out by arguing, didn't we? We'll get through it. Just…give this a chance, won't you?"

Naruto swallowed thickly, knowing this was his turn to speak. "Yes." he choked out, laying his head on Sasuke's shoulder and…were those tears coming to his eyes? "Yes. I'll give this a chance. Yes, I'll marry you. I love you, Sasuke…this shouldn't be so hard, should it?"

Sasuke pulled back a few inches, frowning when he saw the tears leaking out of Naruto's eyes. "Naruto? Are you crying? Because I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want…"

"Who's the baka now?" Naruto joked while punching Sasuke on the arm. "These are tears of JOY, Uchiha Sasuke, and you better remember this moment, because I'm never gonna cry like this for you ever again, bastard." Naruto sniffled, hiccupped, and launched back into full-out sobs again, trying to wipe away his happy tears. They were just coming too fast.

Sasuke smiled, and said affectionately, "Dobe. You're giving out enough emotion for the both of us, you know."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you're smiling too!"

"Sasuke tried to stifle the obvious grin on his features. "Am not."

"Am too!" Naruto had recovered from his crying now, and was sporting a great big smile, glad to know that he was ENGAGED (he thrilled at the word) to his love. "I bet you're just ecstatic that I accepted."

"Am not." Sasuke calmly insisted, though it was obviously untrue. "And I knew you were going to accept, dobe. I wouldn't have take 'no' for an answer." As he waited for a return outburst from Naruto, the vivacious blonde did something unexpected.

He grinned, saying, "Ok."

"Ok?" Sasuke echoed in disbelief. "Are you giving up, dobe?"

Naruto seemed to ponder on this before answering, "Yes. I won't tell anyone about your very uncharacteristic emotional breakthroughs today," now he paused for dramatic effect. "but only if you get me a nice ring."

"A ring?" Sasuke questioned, though he already knew what Naruto was referring to.

"Yeah. A nice lil' engagement ring to show EVERYBODY that I'm taken. In fact, I'd rather you get yourself a nice lil' ring, to show all your fangirls that YOU'RE taken, by me." Naruto grinned, eyes bright blue with happiness. "After all, that's the purpose of this engagement, right? To show that we belong together?"

"Hmph." Sasuke grunted, though equally happy. "Took you long enough to figure that out, dobe."

.:Marriage is a promise to stay:.

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**Next Chapter**: Sasuke and Naruto's announcement of their relationship and their wedding! If I go along with this format I need to tell it in Neji/Gaara's point of view, but if you want I can do a separate story focused on their wedding in their own points of view. What do you think I should do?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: I'm hoping to update everything (or almost everything) at least once in the next week. I've been in China for a month, with practically no laptop and no Word, so…yeah. Sorry.

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**Third Try**

"Gaara." The name was muffled, but Gaara still distinguished it from the background noise. The two of them were dancing (well, more like swaying to a slow song) at Sasuke and Naruto's wedding reception, Gaara's back against Neji's chest and the brunette's arms around the other's waist. It was nice…relaxing.

"I'm listening, Neji." Gaara replied, looking up to glance into Neji's eyes. His own hands were resting on top of Neji's, and he could feel the other's heart beat behind him.

"Will you m-"

"Don't say it," Gaara interrupted, sending up a half-glare. "Don't ruin the moment."

The song ended and they broke away, walking back to their table and drinks. Only once they had sat down did Neji start talking. "Is that a no?"

Gaara refused to look into his piercing gaze, instead taking in the sight of other wedding guests enjoying the elaborate reception, along with Naruto and Sasuke. The Uchiha bastard was actually laughing for once, his shirt collar undone and as social as he had ever been. "It's not a no." Gaara replied. "It's me asking why you're pressing me so much. We've been dating for _9 months_, Neji. It's not nearly enough time. Even Naruto and Sasuke waited a year to get engaged!"

"Yes…but look at how happy they are." The both of them fell silent, staring at the newly wedded couple, each thinking their thoughts.

Gaara was thinking of a day about a month ago, when Naruto had bounded in their apartment with even more energy than usual, exclaiming happily that he was engaged! Gaara had been struck dumb for a few seconds, before he came back to himself and congratulated Naruto wholeheartedly, happy for the blonde. How could anyone not be happy when Naruto was like this? And then, later, Gaara had asked Naruto why he had said yes.

_"Because I'm not complete without teme, and he needs me too"_ he had answered with the utmost confidence. Gaara wondered how he was so _sure_ of his decision, when the night before he had thought that it was inevitable to be dumped by the Uchiha. He wanted to know what had changed Naruto's mind, and see if he had experienced it yet, if he himself could say _yes_ yet.

Neji was thinking of the wedding they had witnessed today, reliving in his mind the sight of Naruto and Sasuke up before the minister, gazing at each other as they exchanged vows with pure love in their eyes. Gaara had been up there too, being Best Man to Naruto, and looking stunning in a black tuxedo. Neji wondered if it would ever be the two of them up there getting married, and what it would be like. It'd be a small wedding, he decided. Gaara wouldn't like all this pomp and attention like Naruto did. Instead of a church they'd get married on the beach, or at least outside. It'd be someplace warm too, because Gaara couldn't stand the cold. And only some select family and friends would be there, to insure that it would be a happy day for the both of them…was this only a foolish dream?

Neji hadn't expected Gaara to accept his proposal the first time, or the second time really. He knew they hadn't dated for a long time, but to him it was more than just mere dating. In their nine months together he had confided his hopes and fears in Gaara, and the redhead had done the same. Did it mean nothing? Neji truly thought they would be happy if they got married (not even married, engaged really), but Gaara seemed to be very against it. Why?

He snuck a look at the redhead beside him as he sipped his drink, trying to decipher just what was going on behind those emerald eyes. Neji usually didn't have to do this – he probably knew Gaara better than anyone except for his siblings and could make a good guess of Gaara's thoughts and feelings were on any subject, but on marriage he had just about no idea. When their relationship had just started a few months before, Temari had warned him that Gaara was skittish about intimacy and relationships, and to take it slow.

That meant he shouldn't have proposed marriage this early, didn't it? Neji sighed, swirling the remaining ice left in his glass. Just because _he_ was ready for the thought of marriage didn't necessarily mean Gaara was. But the thought of letting him get away! Neji couldn't bear that possibility, especially when he had realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Gaara. And so the first proposal had come…

Neji had been content with Gaara's answer. It was certainly truthful, and now his redheaded boyfriend was actually thinking about marriage. The second time…to be truthful to himself, Neji had just wanted to know what Gaara thought about his family. His possibly-future-in-laws. It was nice to know Gaara liked Hinata, since Neji wouldn't have abandoned her, and it made him even happier to know Gaara couldn't stand the rest of his relatives. All the more reason to not go near them anymore. But now…he was being too pushy, wasn't he?

Neji was broken out of his stupor by Gaara's voice. "Neji…" The Hyuuga stared into Gaara's eyes and saw concern there. No, concern was not supposed to be there. This was bad.

"Yeah Gaara?" Neji tried to keep his voice light, but inside he was expecting the worst.

Gaara grasped Neji's hand and looked up into his eyes. "Listen, I think we should spend some time apart." Neji's mouth went dry. "I mean, I know you're so sure about marriage, but I'm not, and I need some time apart to think."

"Does that mean we're still exclusive?" Neji whispered, looking down. He felt weird, having just realized that he might've been too clingy and pushy with this marriage thing, but still not wanting to let Gaara go.

"Yeah, of course." Gaara answered. "I'm not breaking up with you, Neji, not anything remotely close. I just…need some time to breathe before I dive back down into the ocean. Or something like that."

"So I'm that much of a burden, huh?" Neji knew those words would hurt Gaara, but he didn't seem to be able to stop them.

"No! That's not I was saying! I just…need some more time. Away from you, to miss you and know all the things I liked about you. I mean, Neji, I've been around you so much that all your good qualities start to seem…mundane. And I don't want that. So I'll use this time to relearn everything I love about you, and then I'll come back and say yes, ok?"

"You don't have to say yes, you know." Neji said. "You don't have to promise me that. I realize I've been…pushy about this marriage thing, so if you spend some time apart and realize you don't want to marry me or even date me, I'm fine with that." He tried to shrug but failed miserably. Then he sighed. "But I'll miss you horribly while we're apart, so make your decision quick, ok love?" Neji gave Gaara a quick kiss and then moved back, pulling his hand away. They stared at each other for a moment, before Neji stood up.

"I'll see you later, ok? Now I need to say goodbye to the married couple." Neji started to walk away.

"But you haven't even eaten any cake yet!" Gaara protested. "You can't go!"

"Yeah, but you know I was only invited because of you. I shouldn't intrude now, should I? And I'd feel guilty if I asked you to dance again." At Gaara's guilty expression, Neji smiled. "It's fine, Gaara. I love you and I understand why you're doing this, so it's fine."

With that Neji made his way over to Naruto and Sasuke, who had stopped dancing and were sitting down at a table. Gaara watched as they talked for a while, during which Naruto threw him a look, and then Neji left. The day suddenly felt emptier to Gaara then, even if his best friend was getting married. He sighed. So first he didn't want Neji here and now he did. Really weird.

Gaara went through his motions as the best man for the rest of the wedding, smiling when he was supposed to, congratulating Naruto and Sasuke as best as he could.

And then came the bouquet toss. Well, Naruto and Sasuke didn't think a bouquet would be enough incentive for the majority of guys that had come to their wedding, so it was a bouquet with a 500$ debit card tucked inside it. It still symbolized who was going to get married next, of course, it was just that the grooms didn't want to make the men (straight or gay) at the wedding uncomfortable by making them chase after flowers.

It worked. When it was time for the bouquet toss, almost everybody was on the floor, waiting for Naruto to throw it. Everybody was clambering for it, both men and women, straight and homosexual.

So it was ridiculous that Gaara had to have been the one to catch it. Utterly ridiculous and impossible, because he was probably the only one not trying to catch it. And yet, it had landed in his arms, the flowers a little worn but still pretty, with the debit card nestled inside the bouquet. Everyone had cheered and clapped him on the back, and Gaara had tried to smile, but inside he was in an uproar. What did this mean? Did this mean _anything_? Of course not, it was just a stupid superstition and he had just asked Neji for some time apart…

Gaara unthinkingly handed the debit card and bouquet over to his sister, because Temari was probably going to need it with her shopping obsession and all that, and Gaara himself had no use for it. He instead opted to sit down again with a glass of strong alcohol and think. About Neji, about Sasuke and Naruto, about himself.

Unfortunately, his thinking was cut short by a stranger sitting down beside him. To be more specific, a strange woman with pink hair who seemed to be intent on hitting on him (1).

"Hi. I saw you catching the bouquet just then. And you're the best man, aren't you?" When Gaara didn't answer, the girl went on. "Well hi, I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm a friend of Naruto's-"

"You're one of Sasuke's fangirls, aren't you?" Gaara interrupted, wishing he could go back to nursing his drink in peace.

The Sakura girl seemed surprised at being interrupted like this. "Well, um, yes. I think Sasuke-kun is very handsome." And then her voice became softer, silkier. "But we're not talking about Sasuke-kun right now, Gaara, is it? You're very handsome too, Gaara-kun."

"And, like Sasuke, I am also taken."

"Really? I don't see any ring on your finger, nor any girl on your arm. You sure you're taken?"

Gaara sighed. "My _boyfriend_ has gone home, Haruno-san. However, that does not mean I will deign to cheat on him with the first girl who flirts with me."

"Aww. How cute. But I saw your little spat back then, you know. And if you want something to cheer you up, hey, I'm available." Sakura winked before getting up and walking away.

Gaara sighed and sipped his alcohol, wanting just to go home and sleep. Flirting was not something he wanted to deal with right now. But he amusedly compared Sakura and Neji in his mind, just to have something to do.

Neji would never stoop to flirting, for one. He probably didn't need to, but just hypothetically, if he did need to flirt, his pride wouldn't let him do it. Well, unless he liked the person enough to overcome his pride. That would be a scene to see, Gaara thought. Neji trying to flirt with someone. He'd probably catch their attention first with a glance, those white eyes burning with desire, and then turn away with a half-hidden smirk on his face, letting you know that even though he wanted you, you were going to have to do some work before he'd admit it.

Nobody would be able to resist those eyes, Gaara thought. Not when they actually showed something, not when you could see how much Neji wanted you in those eyes. God, Neji could have himself a harem or something if he wanted to. And Gaara thought about Neji's fangirls and fanboys, how Neji could have the pick of them anytime he wanted, and what had he chosen? Gaara.

Gaara took another sip of his drink and sighed. One thing he sighed about was the fact that the drink wasn't working. He wasn't forgetting anything like he wanted to. So he sulked, drank more, and thought about marrying Neji. It seemed like a fantastic idea now. With marriage, or at least an engagement, they'd exchange rings. It would show the world that they were taken, and girls like Haruno Sakura wouldn't try to flirt with them anymore.

That was a nice idea. Neji would be marked as taken, taken by him. It was a visible mark too, and it wouldn't fade like a hickey. It would be a ring on Neji's finger, and Gaara would make sure that Neji would never want to take it off. Gaara was feeling a bit more buzzed now, a bit happier as he considered engagement, not marriage. Engagement could last a long time, he thought. Neji wouldn't press him into marriage if they weren't ready, and besides, a wedding took a long time to plan. Even with a whole team of wedding planners like Sasuke had hired, planning this wedding had taken a month. And Gaara was sure Neji would want a very nice wedding. Elaborate, maybe. Gaara didn't really care, as long as he could put his ring on Neji's slim finger and call Neji his.

Hmm…Neji. His Neji. Neji didn't understand why Gaara didn't give him any pet nicknames, especially when Gaara got so many himself from Neji. Pet names like Panda-chan, which made him feel cute and a little humiliated, but then Neji smiled and he didn't feel so bad at it anymore. But the reason Gaara didn't give Neji any nicknames was because Gaara liked saying Neji's name. Neji's name itself was sexy, and Gaara knew no substitute would be good enough. So no nicknames.

Gaara stared at his empty glass for a few seconds before calling a waiter over and asking for a glass of the strongest alcohol the bar had. The waiter brought it over quickly, and Gaara sipped at the alcohol casually while thinking some more.

Maybe he should stop this. This was Naruto's wedding after all, and the last thing they wanted was probably a drunken best man (Gaara didn't drink that often and couldn't hold his liquor that well). But then, Temari always said that he didn't do anything when he got drunk, just slept. So it wouldn't really matter if he drank some more, and besides, he felt good like this. Gaara gave a little hiccup and smiled. Neji hadn't ever seen him get drunk. He wondered what the brunette would say.

Maybe Neji would frown and drag him home to bed. Or maybe he'd smile, sit down, and drink the night away with Gaara. It would be nice if he did, the redhead admitted as his head sunk down onto his arms and he slept.

Naruto made his way over to Gaara's table, with Sasuke trailing behind him.

"Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked as he watched Naruto poke Gaara. "He's just sleeping."

"Yeah, but Gaara doesn't sleep." At Sasuke's incredulous look, he elaborated. "Well, I've never seen him sleep. I always go to bed earlier than him and wake up later, and I know Gaara can pull an all-nighter without coffee, which scares me. So…this is new."

"Yeah, Gaara sleeps when he's drunk." Temari said, popping up beside Naruto. "It surprised me too. Want me to drive him home?"

"Uh…will he wake up?" Naruto asked hesitantly, somewhat knowing the answer. He had been poking Gaara for a while now.

"Probably not. Gaara's a light sleeper, but he doesn't wake up when he's like this." Temari answered.

"Ah. Then…I guess you should take him home, but wait a moment, ok?" Naruto asked. "I need to get his present."

Temari stared after him. "It's his wedding…and he gives other people presents?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It's Naruto. He likes to give presents, and Gaara _is _his best friend after all. They've been through a lot together, facing their personal demons and all."

"Yeah, I suppose that's right…" Temari admitted as they watched Naruto come back. He was holding a small velvet box in his hand, and Temari wondered if he had gotten jewelry for Gaara.

Naruto handed the box to Temari and saw her eyes linger on it curiously. "Oh, you can look in it." he said, and Temari opened the box. It held a single key, and Temari looked up with a question in her eyes.

"It's the key to Gaara's new motorcycle." Naruto replied with a grin. "Gaara's always wanted one, I know. And I thought I'd buy one for him before Neji beat me to it."

"Where _is _Neji, by the way?" Temari asked with a frown. "He was here earlier, I know. He better not have abandoned Gaara once he got drunk."

"No, no." Naruto soothed. "Neji went home earlier, before Gaara started drinking. They've taken a break in their relationship, apparently, and Neji didn't want to make things even more uncomfortable by sticking around, so he took off."

Temari was getting more furious with every word that came out of Naruto's mouth. "Neji broke off their relationship? That bastard! I'm gonna hunt him down and-"

"Gaara broke it off." Sasuke interrupted, if only to have Temari and Gaara gone so that he could have Naruto to himself again. "I don't know why, and I don't care, but I think it had something to do with Neji proposing to Gaara."

"He…proposed?" Temari looked shocked. "But they've only been dating for nine months!"

"Yeah, yeah. That's why Gaara refused him." Sasuke added.

Temari 'hmph'-ed. "Well then," she started, closing the lid of the velvet box with a snap, "I'll take Gaara back home, and then we'll have a talk."

Naruto grinned again. He knew that tone of voice Temari had used. Like Iruka, Temari could be a strict mother hen sometimes. "Bye Tem-chan." He called as she walked toward the parking lot with Gaara held in her arms (he, as expected, was still in his drunken stupor). "Tell Gaara he can visit me and Sasuke any time he wants!"

When Temari had gone, Sasuke put his arms around Naruto again. "Not any time, dobe." he muttered. "You want him to catch us having sex?"

"Hmm, he's done that a lotta times already, hasn't he? He's probably immune to it by now." Naruto grinned and gave Sasuke a peck on the lips.

"Probably…" Sasuke agreed, before giving Naruto a _real _kiss.

Itachi watched them from a few tables away and drew Kisame closer. The other man glanced at Itachi, wondering what was up. Itachi sighed. "I can't believe my otouto got married before I did."

Kisame rolled his eyes. "Your hints have gotten less and less subtle, you know. Don't be jealous of Sasuke. And I don't want us to get married just because your brother has, so you'll have to wait." He smirked his deadly sexy smirk and kissed Itachi hard.

-----

(1) I'm not saying Sakura is a slut, btw. If I were in her shoes, I'd want to flirt with Gaara too. -grin-

Ok, so I need to stop here, or this will turn into something really long and somewhat monstrous.


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